The Story of Texas Public Lands. A Unique Heritage

Date

1993

Authors

Sewell, Gerald and Mary Beth Rogers

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Texas General Land Office and J.M. West Texas Corporation

Abstract

No one could sit at this desk observing the flow of business generated by the land resources of Texas without being aware of the land's importance to the people of the State, of the historical significance of the General Land Office and of the office's impact on the development of Texas. This book is the story of how we got to where we are today - of how we became the only state to enter the Union retaining title to its public lands, what we then did with them, received from them and, finally, what we have left. It is the duty of the Commissioner of the General Land Office to hold this public domain as a public trust for all Texas citizens. It has been traditional for the Land Commissioners to tell the story of the disposition of the Texas Public Lands in a publication available to the general public. More than ten years has passes since this has been done. We have received requests for such a publication all across the State. I have therefore decided it is time to revise and republish the story of the Texas public domain. The heritage - and thus the future - of our public lands is too important to be ignored, and the more people who become aware of this importance, the better. If this book accomplishes no more than simply providing information to those who would not otherwise have had access to it, the effort will have been worthwhile. But I wanted the story told in a way that would be interesting as well as informative. I think my staff has succeeded in this endeavor.

Description

53 pgs.

Keywords

public lands, history

Citation